A warm and grateful look back tonight to Christmas I remember most as a child were from our Roanoke years. Days of packing hundreds of fruit and candy paper sack bags for the community and shut-ins; the Holiday Christmas Nativity ‘Pageant’ @ the Community Center annually directed by the extraordinary Sara Jane (Dickard) Rice; Dad’s Christmas passionate Christmas message and always an altar call. A generous love offering from our church family, gifts for Mom and Dad; and a holiday ‘pounding’ filling our car with pantry and homemade canned vegetables/jellies and a couple of home cured hams. What most didn’t know—every single year — none of these ever made it back to our house. And it wasn’t like we didn’t need it – but others ‘needed it more’. On the way home that Christmas night—my parents would make multiple stops as my brother and I watched from the car—families who could not pay their rent or feed or clothe their kiddos—I remember specifically one night that the church had gifted Dad with a new suit and Mom a new store bought dress—I watched them humbly walk to a porch and without any fanfare give them to a family going through hard times. I saw firsthand as a young kiddo the raw, real reason for the season – from the most amazing, giving hearts and parents I could ever ask for. So, it’s in the DNA my Friends—if you haven’t figured it out as of yet. #TheReasonfortheSeason
The Reason for the Season
